Lilou Wadoux achieves fifth-place finish in challenging and weather-affected 24 Hours of Daytona
- MIKA BÖCKER
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
Lilou Wadoux and the AF Corse US team demonstrated impressive speed and secured a promising result to start their 2026 IMSA campaign, leading the race and fighting for the podium throughout most of the race and ultimately finishing fifth in the GTD class at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
Following a six-hour disruption caused by fog, Lilou Wadoux and the AF Corse US team demonstrated impressive speed and secured a promising result to start their 2026 IMSA campaign.
The heat was on even before the green flag dropped at Daytona. January in Florida is known for sunshine but this day felt different. Drivers had to warm up their tyres for those crucial first laps, even seasoned pros like Antonio Fuoco in the No. 21 AF Corse US Ferrari for the opening stint.
The GTD class was a battlefield, packed with talent and ready to fight tooth and nail. Not even a Gold-class driver could snatch pole position, leaving the AF Corse US Ferrari starting sixth in GTD and 6th in GTD, sharing the car with 2025 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup champion Lilou Wadoux, fellow Ferrari factory driver Tommaso Mosca and Simon Mann.
The Daytona endurance classic got off to a chaotic start. In the LMP2 class, a multi-car crash erupted in the very first corner, involving the No. 343 AO Racing and the No. 18 EMA Motorsport cars. While miraculously all teams were able to continue, the scene was littered with debris, forcing race control to throw out the first Full Course Yellow. With the incident happening right after the green flag, pit lane remained closed during the brief stoppage. Ten minutes later, racing resumed, and Fuoco had already surged into a provisional third place position.
The incident marred an otherwise promising start to the race. A spin by the No. 28 Porsche, resulting in contact with the pit wall, brought out a second full course yellow caution period. The driver emerged unharmed despite significant damage to the vehicle. While the pits remained closed due to the short elapsed time, Fuoco had previously seized the opportunity to advance his Ferrari into second position.
The race started with a green light that stayed on longer than usual, giving drivers more time to position themselves. Fuoco battled hard for the lead, finally taking it on lap 14 and placing the Ferrari in 32nd overall. This position held for 11 laps before Ellis in the Mercedes snatched it back just before the first pit stops of the GTD class. AF Corse US had a rough go during these stops, falling to 12th place after receiving a drive-through penalty for an “Improper Pit Entry”.
The race saw Fuoco claw his way back into contention, finally breaching the top ten at the 100-minute mark, a mere five seconds adrift of the Ferrari No. 023. His momentum surged, propelling him to within striking distance of 7th place just twenty minutes later. Fuoco secured this coveted position shortly before the third FCY deployment.
This time, a technical malfunction, specifically a broken suspension, sidelined the No. 62 car, forcing its retirement. With the race well underway, pit stops commenced. The AF Corse US team capitalized on this opportunity, with Simon Mann assuming control of the vehicle. They re-entered the field 7th within the GTD class, trailing Yoluc in the No. 36 Corvette.
Mann made some progress after the restart but quickly started losing ground. He was passed by Costa and fell further behind. Then, with less than three hours left, another FCY came out – an LMP2 car spun and stalled near the Horseshoe. The Wright Motorsport's Porsche slammed into it due to the smoke. This placed Mann in 7th after pit stops and meant the top drivers were back in for everyone else while Mann dropped to 15th.
After his second stint, Mann handed the Ferrari over to Mosca. Mosca then staged another comeback in his double stint, re-establishing himself in seventh place in the GTD class by the five-hour mark. With 18 hours and 50 minutes remaining, another FCY occurred. This only briefly interrupted Mosca’s impressive comeback. Within the next hour, he managed to move up to fourth place before his driving time was temporarily over.
Lilou Wadoux, the French factory driver, started her first stint in the race behind Auer in the Mercedes. The initial laps saw her adjusting to the conditions, but she maintained a consistent 10-second deficit to Auer while building a significant lead over fourth place. Despite the encroaching fog, Wadoux’s performance remained steady throughout the twilight race. A collaborative effort between Wadoux and Auer successfully reduces the gap to the leaders.
The fog descended, a suffocating blanket swallowing the track whole. No wind dared stir its dense tendrils, trapping it in the bowl-shaped circuit like a phantom predator. Visibility plummeted, reduced to mere whispers, below 400 metres at times. Resuming before dawn was unthinkable, leaving drivers trapped in a tense limbo. Time became a weapon, every pit stop a desperate gamble as positions shifted with each refueling. Mann fulfilled his obligation, handing the wheel over to veterans who battled against the darkness and dwindling fuel reserves.
Lilou Wadoux was back in the driver’s seat of the No. 21 Ferrari as the sun rose. A good strategy during those long yellow flag periods had put them on top in the GTD class, and Lilou was ready to roll. She tore through the track like a force of nature, setting the team’s fastest lap yet; however, she couldn’t shake off the GTD Pro cars. After just five laps, Foley in the No. 46 BMW zoomed past her, ending her lead dreams for now.
The AF Corse US team then made a strategic early pit stop at the start of the final quarter, swapping drivers to Fuoco. This move initially dropped them to 11th but, after all teams had pitted, they secured second place. With four hours and fifty minutes remaining, Fuoco made his next pit stop. Meanwhile, drama unfolded as the No. 18 LMP2 car spun in Turn 1, stalling and requiring a FCY to recover it, closing the pit lane during this time. Following the restart, Fuoco surged back to second, engaging in a fierce battle with McLaughlin. He briefly slipped back to seventh but recovered to third before the next round of pit stops.
Mosca took over driving duties in fifth place. The competition turned nasty in the final hours, making it nearly impossible for Lilou Wadoux’s team to climb the ranks. Stuck behind Green in the No. 13 Corvette, the best Ferrari in class was robbed of any opportunity to strike back. They were then passed by Auer in the Mercedes. After an hour, Mosca returned to the pits to hand over to Wadoux once again. But this time, fate dealt them a cruel blow with a full course yellow and closed pit exit. Just as they entered the pits, the No. 64 Mustang sputtered to a stop in the oval with a catastrophic engine failure, leaving a massive oil slick. This forced an immediate full course yellow. At the restart, Wadoux found herself plummeting to sixth place.
The Ferrari's pace wasn’t as strong as it had been earlier in the race, causing them to fall behind the leaders. A difficult final driver change saw them slip further down the GTD standings. With 100 minutes remaining, Fuoco took the wheel of the Ferrari with the challenging task of bringing the car back into contention. Despite a strong push, he briefly climbed to second place before another pit stop shuffled the field, leaving him in sixth.
He fought hard in his final stint, ultimately securing an additional position for the AF Corse US team. They finished fifth in the GTD class, behind the No. 13 Corvette, and 32nd overall, trailing the Aston Martin GTP. The Winward Racing Mercedes claimed victory in the GTD class.
Get ready for a thrilling spectacle as American motorsport gears up for the next IMSA endurance classic: the legendary 12 Hours of Sebring, from March 18th to 22nd, as drivers will again push their limits on the challenging Sebring International Raceway.
